How Ali Ferguson Saved Houdini (5 page)

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Chapter 6

wht cn u c?
Ali hit send and settled back on to his bed.

Moments later, his mobile bleeped. It was a reply from Gez.
Nothing. Still. Stop txting me. I'll call u.

Ali's phone rang. This time it was Caitlin. ‘Gez just told me to stop ringing him. It's not fair. Just because I haven't got a mobile and can't text. He says I'm bothering him.' Caitlin sounded cross.

Ali grinned. No wonder Gez was annoyed if they were both getting in touch every two minutes. And it wasn't even night-time yet. ‘Don't worry,' he told Caitlin. ‘I'll let you know if anything happens. He told me to stop fussing too.'

‘I can't help it.'

Ali chuckled. ‘Sorry, Caitlin, you'll have to try.' He finished the call.

Ali looked out of his bedroom window. The sky was turning dark and low mist was forming. The lights of the town seemed far away.

In the kitchen, Mum was frying onions. The smell made him hungry. He left his phone on the windowsill and went through to see her.

‘Smells good,' he said. He opened the bread bin and looked inside.

‘Don't even think about it. Tea's ready in ten minutes,' Mum said. ‘Make yourself useful and get a couple of plates, will you?'

Ali had unpacked the kitchen stuff that afternoon, so he knew where the plates were. He found the salt and pepper and put those on the table too.

‘Do you think I should have asked Dave and Caitlin to eat with us?' Mum asked.

‘What? Why?'

‘Oh, you know. Because he got hurt. He might not feel like cooking tonight. He still looked poorly when I called there this morning. Well, it's too late now, anyway. I haven't cooked enough. But perhaps I should take them something tomorrow?'

‘If you want,' Ali said, though he was sure that Dave didn't need Mum cooking for him.

His phone rang. He could hear it coming from the bedroom. Mum rolled her eyes at him. ‘Whoever it is, tell them you'll call back. Tea's nearly ready.'

Ali raced to his room. Perhaps Gez had some news already! He made it just before the ring tone chimed its last few notes. The screen said it was Caitlin again.

‘Hello,' Ali said.

‘Anything happening?'

‘No. It's only teatime.'

‘I know, but it's driving me mental. I know you boys will forget to ring me. You'll forget and go off investigating and you won't even notice I'm not there. At least, you won't until some bad men capture you and you think,
Oh, wouldn't it have been good to tell Caitlin cos then she'd know where we are and come and rescue us, but instead we're going to be trapped in this dungeon for ever and ever.
'

‘Caitlin. How can I forget when you're calling me every two minutes?'

‘You just will, I know it. Listen, can I come and wait at yours?'

‘What, now?'

‘Yes. Ask your mum if you can have a sleepover. That way I'll be there whenever Gez gets in touch.'

‘What?'

‘A sleepover. You know, when someone sleeps over?'

‘Oh, I see. I'll have to ask Mum. Wait there.'

Ali held the phone tight to him, so that all Caitlin would hear was the scratching of his jumper on the speaker. Then he went back to the kitchen. ‘Mum, can Caitlin come and stay at ours tonight?'

‘Caitlin?'

‘Yes. She, er, she's going to tell me about the school and the teachers and stuff. So that I'm ready for after the holidays.'

Mum smiled slightly. ‘Yes, if you like. Tell her to bring a sleeping bag or something. She'll have to sleep on cushions on your floor.'

That was a yes! Without even saying anything embarrassing about Caitlin being his
girlfriend
in a soppy Mum voice. Ali lifted his phone again. ‘Bring a sleeping bag. You'll have to sleep on cushions.'

‘OK, I'll be there in fifteen minutes.' She hung up.

Ali looked at his phone. He had a friend coming to stay in fifteen minutes. He'd only been here two days and he'd made friends. Two of them. He grinned widely. Then something occurred to him. It wasn't
him
she was coming to visit, it was his
mobile
. She wanted information from Gez and it was quicker to come here to get it. She wasn't visiting a friend, she was visiting a phone.

He sat down heavily. Mum had put the food out already. He picked up his fork and shovelled some up to his mouth.

‘What's the matter?' Mum asked.

‘Nothing.'

Mum smiled at him and patted his shoulder. ‘It's probably just nerves. Don't fret – I'm sure you'll have fun.'

.

Caitlin arrived after dinner. Ali washed up and then showed her his room. He was pleased that Mum had made him unpack properly. His room was looking good. He had his books on the shelf, his clothes put away and some posters on the walls: a lion, a polar bear and one of Jason Adams in his Liverpool strip taking a shot at goal.

Caitlin arranged her Bratz sleeping bag and the sofa cushions on the floor. ‘You like animals,' she said.

‘Yes. I want to be a vet when I grow up.'

She looked at the books on his shelf. ‘This one's falling apart.' She pulled out the
Giant Atlas of World Animals
. It was true that the spine was hanging loose.

‘Careful,' Ali said. ‘Dad gave me that.'

Caitlin slipped the book back on to the shelf and turned to look at him. ‘So,' she said, ‘where is your dad?'

Ali froze. That wasn't the sort of question you asked if you were visiting a phone. That was a personal, private question.

‘Ali?' Caitlin asked again.

Ali caught his breath. Just for a second he saw flashing blue eyes, all crinkled at the corners with a smile. Dad.

After a few moments of silence, Caitlin spoke again. ‘Did he die, like my mum?'

Caitlin's mum was dead? Ali tried to remember whether she or Gez had told him that. How had he not known?

‘Ali?' Caitlin said. ‘You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.'

‘Oh,' Ali said quickly, ‘no, he's not dead. Nothing like that. He's in Asia. India, probably.'

‘India? But you said he was from Scotland. You said you were hardly Indian at all. You said –'

Ali took the book from Caitlin. ‘I know what I said,' Ali began. ‘And it's true. Dad is from Scotland. He married my mum and then they had me. And I think that's when the trouble started. They didn't have much money. Dad didn't really have much of a job. He played dhol.'

‘He played with dolls?' Caitlin sounded horrified.

Ali grinned. ‘No, dhol. It's a kind of drum. He played it at weddings and things. Mum liked it at first. But then, they rowed.'

‘Why?' Caitlin sat down on the cushions and curled the sleeping bag around herself.

‘I think I cost too much. When I was little, Mum wanted Dad to get a proper job, so that they could buy all the things they needed. I remember listening from upstairs, when they thought I was asleep. It would start with them talking about the price of a school trip and end with the two of them yelling their heads off. I used to hold a pillow over my head, so that I didn't have to listen.'

‘Then what happened?'

Ali shrugged. ‘One day, Dad just left. He said he was a musician, not a doormat. He went to India to learn. He sends postcards sometimes. He's travelled all over. I think . . .' Ali's voice dropped to a whisper. ‘I think he's glad to be away from us.'

‘Do you miss him?'

Ali couldn't speak. His eyes felt too hot. He looked away, so that Caitlin couldn't see.

‘Sorry,' Caitlin said.

‘It's OK. We're making a new start, Mum says.'

‘I like your mum,' Caitlin said. She paused. ‘Dad does too. He thinks it was nice of her to come and look for him last night.'

Ali frowned.

‘And she's really pretty,' Caitlin said. ‘She looks like the ladies in shampoo adverts. Exotic.'

Exotic? Mum? Ali screwed up his face. Mum wasn't exotic. Her favourite meal was bangers and mash. She never missed an episode of
EastEnders
.

‘She's not exotic,' he said finally.

Caitlin sat up and stared at him. ‘Ali! She is so! She's got beautiful dark hair, like . . . like silk. And big brown eyes that look almost black. And her skin is like peaches. She's lovely! She's like an Asian princess . . . like Pocahontas.'

‘Pocahontas was American!' Ali snapped. Was that how people saw Mum? The idea made him feel uncomfortable. She wasn't exotic, she was just Mum.

There was a pause.

‘Sorry,' Caitlin said. ‘I was only saying. She's pretty, that's all. It's a compliment.'

Ali didn't reply. Caitlin sighed.

‘What time is it?' Caitlin asked.

Ali looked at his clock. ‘Nearly ten.'

‘It was about this time last night that Dad went out. Gez might ring soon. Do you think he'll find out anything?'

‘I hope so. It would be good, wouldn't it? To be detectives. To solve a mystery.'

Caitlin was quiet, then she said, ‘I don't care much about the mystery. I just want to find out who hurt my dad.'

They lay still for a moment. The only sound in the room was the ticking of Ali's alarm clock.

Then his phone rang. Caitlin dived towards the bedside table, but Ali got there first. Gez. Ali pressed loudspeaker, so that Caitlin could hear.

‘Gez? What's going on?'

‘I have eyeball,' Gez said, his voice crackly over the speaker.

‘You what?' Caitlin asked.

‘Is that Caitlin? What are you doing there?'

‘Sleepover,' Ali said quickly. ‘What can you see?'

‘I have eyeball on the suspect,' Gez said proudly.

‘You mean you can see him?' Caitlin said.

‘Yes. Yes, I can, OK. Blimey, Caitlin, where's your sense of adventure?'

‘Stop rabbiting on and tell us what you can see!' Caitlin said.

‘OK. Picture the scene. It's dark. I'm at my window, looking out. I hear an owl hoot down in the blackness.'

‘The man, Gez! The man!' Caitlin said.

‘Fine, fine. Look, there's a white van. It just got here. It's parked in the lane. There's only one person in it, a driver. No one else. It's just waiting.'

‘Anything written on it? Any markings?' Ali asked.

‘Negative. At least, I think negative. To be honest, it's a bit too dark to tell. I could sneak out for a closer look.'

‘No,' Ali said immediately. ‘It's too dangerous.'

Caitlin frowned. ‘It's our only lead. I know this gang is dangerous, but the driver won't suspect a boy. And he might not even see Gez. He was pretty good at stalking us, remember?'

‘Yes,' Gez said. ‘I'll be like his shadow. He won't know I'm there. We need a lead, else we have nothing.'

Ali sat still on his bed. Caitlin was looking at him, waiting for his decision. Since when was he in charge? Ali felt a sudden shiver; Caitlin and Gez really did think that he was the leader! How had that happened? They barely knew him. He swallowed slowly. ‘You're right,' he said. ‘This is our best lead. Gez, here's what you do. You sneak out into your yard. If you have a cat or something, take that with you. The driver'll think you're just letting the cat out. Take a quick look.
Don't
get close.
Don't
speak to him. Then come straight inside and phone us. Be careful! Understood?'

‘Roger that. Like a shadow, but one that can make phone calls. Over and out.'